The Dodo Archive

Plenty Of Pets Going Kosher This Passover

With the coming of Passover this evening, many Jewish families have already cleared their kitchens of chametz -- grains, bread and other leavened foodstuffs that are not considered kosher for the holiday -- and re-stocked their pantries with acceptable items, even down to the dog food.

According to the New York Post, a number of observant Jews don't believe that the holiday's dietary restrictions apply only to them. The rules apply to Fido, too -- and kosher organizations are helping religious dog-owners figure out how best to observe Passover with their pets:

For the past 20 years, Star-K, a kosher certification agency, has been publishing an annual list of Passover-friendly pet foods. The brands on the list aren't necessarily kosher, but they are Passover-friendly in that they are free of wheat and rice. This year's list was posted in early March, since many pet owners make the food transitions slowly so their pets have time to get used to the new foods.

Not all observant pet-owners go so far as to remove their pets' non-kosher food from the house -- instead, some just get rid of the dog (but only during Passover):

"Depending on how strict you are, some people might board their pet for a week," says Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen, the director of the Center for Jewish Living at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side.

Others ceremoniously "sell" their pet's food to a non-observant friend for Passover. That way, Cohen explains, "the food doesn't belong to you, it just lives in your house."

And then there are those who choose to cook for their pets during Passover, feeding them "human food" instead of alternative pet-food. Of course, plenty of pet-owners decide that's the best course of option year-round -- hopefully their pets enjoy matzoh balls.